Quite rightly, she's just been crowned Slimming World's Women of the Year.

Five years ago, her GP prescribed her slimming pills and tried to refer her for a gastric bypass op, but just a month later, 5ft 3in Maxine decided that surgery would be too much of a risk, fearing that she could "die on the operating table".

Instead, she joined her local Slimming World group with a starting weight of 27st 12lb in March 2013.

Since then, the qualified nursery nurse dropped to 10st 4lbs and slimmed down a whopping 13 dress sizes.

"Everyone [in the slimming group] was really friendly so I had nothing to worry about and I lost a massive 12 lbs in my first week – for the first time in my life I felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel."

It was there that she learnt the basics of healthy eating.

"It's not a diet because there's nothing you can't have and there's no need to go hungry. I've learned how to make the healthiest choices and can even eat out if I want to."

"I hope I'm proof to people that there's never any amount of weight you can't lose"

"Words can't describe how special it was to walk down the aisle more than half the woman I was.

"For the first time in my life, when I look in the mirror I like how I look – and I felt like a princess on my wedding day."

Although her disability means that she still can't do much exercise, Maxine is much more active than she was before and loves being able to play with her little nephew.
She said: "I hope I'm proof to people that there's never any amount of weight you can't lose.

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